Taking the next step in adding value
Together with 2SCALE, the Komborodougou Women´s Cooperative succeeded in producing a groundnut paste of improved quality, compared to its first productions, but especially in comparison to the groundnut pulp sold on the Korhogo market, the nearest commercial market.
Komborodougou´s paste has the distinction of being lighter and smoother, favouring its consumption on bread, in addition to its usual use for sauces.To differentiate Komborodougou’s groundnut paste from those sold in the city of Korhogo, we have defined a value proposition adapted to the product: A pure and smooth product, produced by a local women’s cooperative.
For the branding of the product, the main idea was to highlight the region of origin of the product, so a logo was created, that highlights the region of Komborodougou, the women’s cooperative and finally the product itself. The groundnut paste is packaged in transparent plastic containers, containing 300 grs. On each container a label is placed, which also serves as a security seal for packaging.
Decisions on the size of the package and the use of the security seal came from consumer insights that were gathered earlier in the process; so far, consumers at Korhogo market mostly bought groundnut paste is simple sachets containing around 350 grs. One of their concerns was with the poor quality of the plastic bags, compromising the quality and shelf life of the groundnut paste.
Getting the product out there
To officially launch the new Komborodougou groundnut paste, two mornings of promotional activities were held at the Korhogo market. The mornings are the moment where many people, especially women, come to buy their products. A stand was set up at the entrance of the market, decorated with the image of the product and jars of peanut paste were displayed for sale.
Most of the first sales those days were direct sales to local consumers. During these two mornings,175 units of 300 grs each were sold, which equates to nearly 52.5 kilograms of peanut paste. Surveys within the market have identified a reseller, who now distributes the product in his grocery store in Korhogo. Two others showed interest in being a reseller of Komborodougou groundnut paste.
What’s next?
The connections with the resellers are an important entry point to the local market. Komorodougou and 2SCALE will continue to work on identifying more resellers that will take up the groundnut past. The boost in sales has been a great incentive for the women’s cooperative to professionalize their production. They have been allocated space to construct a building and are working on attracting finance to set up their own processing machinery. Thanks to all this, the group, led by Mrs. Dorcas Soro, will see their incomes and standards of living improve.